


Post Its

by Charlw85



Category: 9-1-1 (TV)
Genre: AU, Coffee Shops, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-26
Updated: 2019-11-03
Packaged: 2021-01-04 01:21:20
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,876
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21189191
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Charlw85/pseuds/Charlw85
Summary: Coffee house AU prompt: We are coworkers at a coffee shop on different shifts. We've never met, but I start to fall you because of our post it note conversation.Eddie and Buck work different shifts at "The Daily Grind." They only talk through post-it notes, until they meet.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> First 9-1-1 fanfic, and first fanfic in a long time. Please send me feedback, but be gentle. I don't a beta reader, so all the mistakes are mine. Thanks!

_Eddie, so happy it's Thursday. Only one more day between me and THE WEEKEND! --Buck_

_ Buck, happy Friday. Don't call me for bail money. --Eddie _

Eddie had been working at The Daily Grind for a month. He worked the opening shifts because he has to be home when his son gets off the school bus. Christopher was the light of his life and he loved being a dad. Christopher had been diagnosed with Cerebral Palsy as an infant. Eddie loved being his dad so much because Christopher was such a happy, lively child. Even though it was just the two of them now, Christopher never complained. He was happy with his life, and that made Eddie proud of their lives together. Selling coffee wasn't his dream job, but he let him live a good life with Christopher.

Eddie unlocked the back door and turned on the lights on his way through the door. 'Ugh, Mondays_,'_ he thinks as he let the door close behind him. Inside, a small backroom was full of shelves, lined with boxes of cups, lids, stirs and extra coffee supplies.

Eddie walked to the time box on the wall and clocked in for the day. This was his favorite part of the work day. Next to the box was a sticky note which read:

_Eddie - Giving coffee to a stone cold drunk guy only produces an alert drunk guy. If the men's room still smells like puke, just burn down the building. I've done everything I can. --Buck_

_PS, I'm looking for that kind of trouble ;p Hope you had a good weekend_

Eddie chuckled and pulled the sticky note off the wall. Buck had been putting a sticky note by the time box for 3 weeks, and it was Eddie's favorite part of working at The Daily Grind. Buck was funny, often joking about customers or weird things that happened around the store. While Eddie had never met Buck, he imagined someone with a kind smile and a big personality. The Post It notes started with a note that said:

_Who is Eddie? No one consulted me before hiring some new guy!_

Eddie had found the post it when he came in the next day. He wasn't sure if he should be offended, but he thought it was funny. So he responded with a note of his own at the end of the shift. He stuck it by the clock in box on his way out the door.

_I'm Eddie. New coffee slinger extraordinaire. Everyone saw how awesome I am, so no one needed your permission to hire me._

From there, everyday Eddie and Buck exchanged notes. Sometimes they were by the clock in box, sometimes they were hidden in other places. But everyday that Buck or Eddie worked, there was a note. Having silly banter was such a mundane thing, but Eddie enjoyed it.

Eddie opened his locker and stuck today's note to the pile already in there and then he grabbed his apron and walked toward the store to get everything started for the day. 

  
*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*

Buck came in at 4 pm, groggy and tired. He had spent the weekend dancing at some new club in South LA, so he was still recovering. He nodded at Hen, who was working the register and walked through the saloon-style half door that divided the customer side from the employee side of the store, and walked to the back room. At the clock in box, he found a pink Post It. 

_Buck, bathroom was good. Or the weekend team fixed it up. No need to commit arson yet. But it's only Monday, no promises. -- Eddie_

Buck smiled at Eddie's note, and clocked in. When Bobby hired Eddie a month ago, Buck was annoyed. Abby had been a cool co-worker, who turned into a close friend. Buck thought they were going to start dating, but then suddenly she left. She had just quit one day, and hadn't called or text him or anyone else in the shop. Even though he knew that Bobby would have to get someone to take her shift, he still felt like someone was replacing _ her. _ And that wasn't okay. He had been annoyed about the new hire when he had heard about it. But Eddie seemed to be a decent guy. 

Buck opened his locker, untangling his apron from everything else in his locker, and sticking the note to the pile on the inside of this locker door. Looking at the pile, Buck lightly chuckled. Eddie had said some pretty funny things to him over the 3 weeks, so Buck was sure that he was a pretty cool guy. Part of him wanted to call him, maybe go get a beer together. But part of him didn't want to get close to another co-worker. Better to keep work and his life separate.

Buck's shift passes with people getting their coffee before their 2nd or 3 shift jobs, and people meeting friends dates meeting before going to dinner. In the middle of his shift, a couple of high school guys come in, ordering complicated drinks and staring at Buck like he is on the menu. 'God, I hates teenagers,' he thinks. Maybe because he's just in his 20's, but anyone under 17 was just annoying. And Buck isn't sure why teenagers hit on him, but they all seem to think that he wants to flirt with them. Buck likes to flirt, and has dated a little bit of everyone, but he had no idea why horny teenagers flocked to him.

At the end of his shift, Buck does all the closing shift tasks. Before he leaves, he writes his note to Eddie.

_Eddie, I won't rule anything out. And if one more high school kid hits on me while I'm working, I might burn this place down just so I can get away. --Buck_

_Buck, stay away from the jail bait. Or you will receive all kinds of unwanted attention in jail. --Eddie_

_LOL! I'm sure that I would be very popular in prison. Everyone digs my skills. ;p -- Buck_

_PS, Tell Bobby to order different stirs. The new ones suck._

_Buck, being popular in prison isn't something to be proud of. _

_Told Bobby, he said that your opinion doesn't count. -- Eddie_

_*-*-*-*-*-*-*_

When Eddie reads Buck's note on Thursday morning, he was thrown for a moment.

_Eddie, I'm proud of my skills. No complaints so far. Plus, I like to drop the soap occasionally. ; ) -- Buck_

If Eddie had read that in any other situation, he would swear that Buck was flirting with him. Eddie wouldn't mind being flirted with by someone like Buck, but it has been so long since anyone had flirted with him that he wasn't sure what to do. Eddie spent the whole day contemplating what to say next. Flirt back? Not flirt? Was Buck even flirting? Eddie had not idea. 

By the end of the day, Eddie still didn't know what to say. So, for the first time in a month, Eddie didn't leave a note.

On Friday, Eddie finds that Bobby, the manager of The Daily Grind, has taped a poster to the time box. 

**MANDATORY STAFF MEETING!!!**

**TUESDAY, 5 PM. EVERYONE IS REQUIRED TO ATTEND**

Next to the poster, Eddie finds his note from Buck. 

_Looks like we finally get to meet. --Buck_

Eddie pauses when he reads it, conflicted. On one hand, Eddie was curious about Buck. And some of that curiosity was attraction. Eddie was only attracted to people that he was already familiar with, so he could be attracted to Buck. On the other hand, he didn't want to be disappointed. He hadn't done a lot of dating since he had lost Shannon. Between being a single dad, and a single dad to a son with lots of medical needs, he didn't have the time to date. He didn't want to ruin the little bubble that Christopher and him had created. But when he thought about Buck, it felt different. It felt good to think about Buck and Christopher meeting, like they would enjoy the same silly jokes. 

As someone who didn't let people in very well, Eddie was nervous about meeting Buck. 'But this is Buck, for God's sake' he thought. 'He's a good guy.'

Eddie was lost in his thoughts as he got ready for his Friday shift. At least he has a couple days to find a sitter for Christopher. And a couple days to worry about Buck.

_Buck, looks like we are. Hope you're not an asshole in person. --Eddie_

_Eddie, only an asshole to those who deserve it. Otherwise i am a cuddly teddy bear. -- Buck_


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for all of the kudos, comments and bookmarks. 
> 
> Here is chapter 2! Enjoy!

When Buck walked into work on Thursday night he was 2% nervous and 98% excited to see how Eddie had responded to his salacious note the night before. It was forward, even for him. But they had been low-key flirting for weeks. It was time to either make a move into more or just friends. This in between thing used to be fun, but it was losing its shine.

Or maybe he was 2% excited and 98% nervous. Buck wasn’t sure.

Buck walked into the back room, and clocked in. There wasn’t a note in it’s usual place, and Buck frowned at the wall. This would be the first Post-it that one of them had missed. And after Buck said something so forward… Buck was definitely nervous now.

Maybe Eddie wanted his response to be more private. Buck checked behind his locker. Nothing. He checked under the lockers, thinking that the note may have fallen off. Nothing. Maybe Eddie had stuck a note directly into his locker. He opened his locker, checking in the nooks and cracks between the other lockers. Nothing.

It hit Buck then. No note. Eddie really didn’t leave him a note. Buck took a deep breath and stared into his locker. Buck knew that he took a chance when he left such a strong, flirty note. And maybe no answer was his answer. He could live with that. He had assumed that some of the notes had been flirty, but maybe he was just reading into it too much. 

Then why did his chest hurt a little? He was just being silly. 

Bobby walked out of the office. “Hey Buck. How are ya?” he said.

Buck looked up, startled out of his pity party. “Uh, good I guess. How are you?” he replied. 

“Good. Athena is up for a promotion, so everything is pretty good.” Bobby said. “Just, so you know, there is a staff meeting on Tuesday.” Bobby turned around and taped a poster next to the clock in box. 

“Ok, anything exciting happening?” Buck said as he untangled his apron.

“No, just regular shenanigans. People mixing up the half and half cream container with skim, etcetera. Plus we have a couple new people who haven’t met each other. Thought it was time to get everyone together. Staff meeting's on Tuesday.”

“Cool.” Buck said, walking toward the front. He just potentially stuck his foot in his mouth with Eddie, and now there were going to meet. Seemed like a recipe for disaster, Buck thought morosely.

On Tuesday, Buck decides to go to work early. He can get a coffee and maybe clear the air with Eddie before the meeting. Buck picks out a short sleeve Henley tee that he gets a lot of compliments on, and then spends more time than he wants to admit deciding how many buttons should be undone.

Buck parks across the street, and looks over at The Daily Grind. He spots a man sitting at one of the outdoor tables by the front door. He is obviously tall, with his legs stretched out under the table and the empty seat in front of him. He has dart hair, cut short enough to not get ruffled in the breeze outside, but long enough that it could be ruffled by someone’s fingers. He is wearing classic Ray Bans and a killer 5 o’clock shadow. It looks like he is enjoying the sunshine on a cool winter day in LA.

As mystery guy lifts his iced tea, Buck can see that he has sculpted forearms. Buck is a sucker for sinewy, defined forearms. Maybe it's some deeply buried Freudian thing, but men’s forearms have always been a big turn on for Buck.

Before he can think about it too much, he gets out of his jeep and jogs across the street. With time to kill and the ego bruise still smarting from the other day, Buck decides he should pre-game flirt before meeting Eddie. At best, it will get him warmed up to use all his game with Eddie. At worst, he will get rid of some of this nervous energy.

“Hey there. Thanks for saving me a seat,” Buck says, pulling out the chair opposite the guy.

*-*-*-*-*-*

Eddie looks up when someone is suddenly talking to him. “Um, I wasn’t saving that for anyone…” Eddie says.

Eddie had decided to hang around The Daily Grind, waiting for 5 pm to come. He got off at 3 pm, but with Christopher set up for a night with his Abuela, Eddie didn't have anywhere he needed to go. So he got an iced tea, and started waiting. The winter sun was perfect in LA, so he took one of the tables outside. 

“You mean you aren’t saving this for Mister Right?” The guy says, gesturing to the empty chair. It’s obviously such a bad pick up line that Eddie can’t help but laugh. It's been years since he has been so blatantly flirted with, in daylight no less. The guy holding the chair is younger than him, with short blonde hair and light eyes. It's hard to tell their exact color is with his glasses on, but they are playful eyes. He has a birthmark above and below his left eyebrow and it highlights his playful attitude. He is wearing a dark red Henley, half unbuttoned, and dark jeans. The henley clings to his biceps and pecs, enhancing his toned physique perfectly.

Eddie doesn’t consciously know what to say, but he opens his mouth and a reply comes out, “Well, if you think you're a candidate, have a seat.” He gestures to the seat, and pulls himself up straight. 

“Thanks. My name is Evan, but you can call me Buck.” The blonde man says, sitting down into the chair. 

Buck. This is Buck. Oh my God, Eddie thinks as his mentally scrambles with what to say. His eyes are probably popping out of his head, but he can’t seem to fix his face. Buck, who he has been writing notes to for weeks, is sitting in front of him now. And he’s so attractive, and he’s flirting with him so easily. Eddie is gobsmacked. 

Before the silence gets too weird, Eddie says, “My name is Eddie. It’s nice to finally meet you.” He hopes he sounds calm and collected, because he is feeling neither.

Buck blinks at him, and his easy smile starts to fall. 

He’s disappointed, Eddie thinks. We’ve finally meet and he’s disappointed in me. Eddie looks down at the table, hoping he can keep his face from showing how much it hurts to finally meet Buck, just to disappoint him.

"Well damn. If I would have known that you were funny, smart and this attractive, I would have found some way to meet you sooner." Buck says, and Eddie looks back up at him.

Buck is back to smiling widely, leaning forward in his chair. Gone is anything that looks like disappointment, and Eddie's heart skips a beat. Maybe…

"You're not disappointed?" Slips out of Eddie before he can stop himself. "Nevermind," he tried to backtrack. "Don't answer th-"

"No I'm not disappointed," Buck says, "but I should apologize for hitting on you so blatantly. I don't even know if you like guys, and yet I left dirty notes for you, and now here I am, flirting with you on the street."

Eddie takes a couple deep breaths while Buck apologies. "I haven't minded the flirting, in the notes or here. I mean, I've liked it. So don't apologize. With that note, I just didn't know what to say."

Bucks smiles at him. "So, my flirting skills make you dumb?" Eddie swears he wiggles his eyebrows just a little, but he could be wrong. 

Eddie rolls his eyes. "Don't let it go to your head. I'm just out of practice with flirting." Eddie says. 

"Well, then let's practice. Can I take you out to dinner tonight?" Before Eddie can respond, Buck continues. "Or another night? I'm sure you have Christopher tonight."

Now it's Eddie's turn to smile widely, "He's at my family's house tonight. So I'm all yours."

Buck blushes and laughs, "Lucky me then. I would love to help you dust off your skills."

Before Eddie can lose his nerves he leans in and asks, "Does that offer extend to all of my skills?" He is rewarded with a blush across Buck's cheeks and a slow bob of his Adam's Apple as he swallows. 

Buck replies, "I have a feeling that your skills will measure up just fine Eddie."

Fin


End file.
